Children of...

“It makes sense to worship the sun and the stars because we are their children.” – Carl Sagan Carl Sagan’s pithy pronouncements summarized his beliefs, his philosophy, his ethos. We are “star stuff,” he often said. Who or whatever created us, that from which or whom we originated demands, deserves our adoration and worship—in that he is correct. We have but two choices: we originated from nothing or a conscious being did the deed. For me, the logic of something from nothing is a leap too far: I have too little faith. Without the a priori of the creative being, we are left with no other choice than “we came from nothing.” But logic, intuition, probability and inspiration all point to a creative intelligence, a supreme being. I assert that there is Someone out there. I agree with Paul, “Of Him…are all things.” We are not “star stuff” but “God stuff.” We are, in some way, made up of whatever God is. I’m not saying we are God, but that we derive from out of Him; we are of His essence. Or as Paul again says, “One God and Father of us all, who is over all and through all and in all.” “This is my Father’s world; I rest me in the thought Of rock and trees Of skies and seas, His hand these wonders wroght” --Maltbie Davenport Babcock

Divine Moebius Ring

Try this: cut a one inch strip of paper eight or so inches long. Draw a line through one side of the center of the longer dimension. Turn one end one-half turn, then join the two ends, making a circle. Tape the two ends together. The circle will have a half twist. Now start at any point on the surface of the ring. Follow it through the twist and back to the starting point. At any point on the ring, there are two surfaces, but following the surface, there is only one. This is known as a “Moebius Ring” named for its discoverer, August Ferdinand Moebius. “No one can come to Me unless the Father…draws him…”. Jesus: Gospel According to John 6:44 "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” Jesus: Gospel According to John 14:6 In these two scriptures, both from the pen of St. Jon, Jesus presents us with a Divine Moebius Ring: No one comes to Jesus but those drawn (dragged) by the Father; No one comes to the Father but through Jesus. We evangelize; we talk of conversion, the new birth, accepting Jesus, but these two verses belie all our dogma and theology: No one comes to the Son but through the Father; no one comes to the Father but through the Son. This creates a mighty conundrum for most theologies. All denominations claim divine sanction, final and authoritative truth without which one cannot come to the Father for it is in knowing Him we have life (Jesus: gospel According to John 17:3) Is it possible that all our evangelism, all our Bible studies, all our altar calls, all our printing presses, all our schools and universities; in short all that we do to “win” others to Christ are a colossal waste? Unless Jesus is wrong or is lying, they are. What a terrifying thought this is: Nothing we can do “converts” a single soul. Truly it is said by St. Paul, “Of (from) Him…are all things (St. Paul: Letter to the Romans, 11:36): even soul-winning. What energy savings! What rest! How much lower the temperature would b between denominations within Christendom and between Christendom and other systems of belief! How many relationships down through the centuries would have been saved; how many lives, if 1900 and some years ago the Body of Christ would have recognized this core truth: We are drawn to Jesus by the Father who introduces us to the Father: the Divine Moebius Ring—each a side but eternally blending into and referring each to the other. Related scriptures: "I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. St. John: Gospel According to John 10:9 "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. St. John: Gospel According to John 6:37 "…no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father." Jesus: Gospel According to John 6:65 And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved. St. Luke: Book of the Acts 2: 47 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. St. Paul: Letter to the Ephesians 1:3-6 "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing." Jesus: Gospel According to Luke 23:34 For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly…But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us…Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. St. Paul: Letter to the Romans 5:6-11 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), St. Paul: Letter to the Ephesians 2:4,5 10.21.12

Within

Reaching as far as I can up, down, left, right, forward, behind, within, without there I touch You. For You are in all place; in all somewheres. No matter how far I can perceive the past or the future, You were already there and You precede me. For You are in everywhen. All someones, from conception to the grave and beyond are enclosed within You and are filled with you, for you are everywhere and everywhen. We exist in the true Matrix; in You we live and move and exist. We are saturated with You. All things originate in You; through You are carried out; to You return. Yet, there is another dimension of inness, another existence within You. We who are called, chosen, elected are in Christ; a within in a within. In this eon, this time after You became one of us, we, the called, the chosen, the elect are graced with this greater and more profound existence within You. We are aware, acknowledge our oneness with You; a consciousness not known to others; their time is not yet but will soon be to share in this, His Kingdom. 10.21.12